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Who are we as a nation, especially when it comes to sports and our attitudes toward behaviors that we don't give a damn about until those behaviors involves someone with ties to a professional sports team?

Long before the release of the TMZ video of NFL running back, Ray Rice, battering his now wife, we knew domestic violence was an everyday occurrence — nothing new. An estimated 1.3 million (as reported by National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) women are victims or physical assault by an intimate partner each year.

Long before the indictment of NFL running back, Adrian Peterson, for abusing his son, we knew child abuse was an everyday occurrence — nothing new. An estimated 3 million (as reported by Childhelp) reports of child abuse are made each year.

Long before the release of the tape of NBA owner, Donald Sterling, clearly making racist remarks, we knew that bigots and racists are still prevalent in this country — nothing new. As a side note, the comments made by Bruce Levenson, the controlling member of the ownership of the Atlanta Hawks, were not derogatory to blacks.

It should not take Rice, Peterson, Sterling, and other major sports stars and/or sports figures, and the sensationalism of their inappropriate behavior to make us aware of domestic violence, child abuse, and racism that we seem to deliberately overlooked, ignore, and not take a stand on until the media broadcasts it over and over on TV, or until it happens to us or a love one.

The NFL in the last year or so has had its share of domestic violence incidents committed by its players, but Roger Goodell and the player's respective teams did nothing but give those players a slap on the wrist and continued to let them play. Now, with harsh criticism, backlash and all the negative publicity that the NFL is receiving, Goodell all of a sudden wants to play nice guy by naming four women to guide the NFL domestic violence policy and indefinitely suspending Rice from playing. Why is this just happening? Could it be his $44.2 million annual salary that he feels could be at risk or the $9 billion in revenue that the NFL generates annually? Even before his actions, he knew his job was safe, as some NFL team owners had already voiced their support of him. Of course they would; he is putting money in their pockets.

Shame on Goodell and shame on those owners who didn't stand on their morals to do what was right. They are spineless men who have their own interests in mind.

Hopefully, the NFL, after this, will stop protecting its athletes from the kind of accountability that we as ordinary citizens must accept. And hopefully, we as Americans will begin to acknowledge domestic violence and child abuse more so than someone's racial remarks, as domestic violence and child abuse has led to women and children being maimed, tortured, and murdered.